


Mishap in a Café

by Lucianhuntress



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-03-13 11:23:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13569570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucianhuntress/pseuds/Lucianhuntress
Summary: The one, titled as your first love, surely didn’t feel like he’d sweep you off feet when you met him. Instead he filled you with irritation, with his perfectly cut smug smile — like he knew something you didn’t or like you were making yourself look like a fool in front of him. A fool whose only goal was to buy a cup of coffee and head back to work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [creative_frequency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/creative_frequency/gifts).



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> More stuff [@tumblr](https://lucianhuntress.tumblr.com/).
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Love is something not to be sought — or so you had been told countless of times before. To which you naturally laughed, whisked your hand as if it was nothing or perhaps responded with a light shrug. Love felt meaningless to you at the time and basically it was on the same level with a joke. A bad one.

The one, titled as your first love, surely didn’t feel like he’d sweep you off feet when you met him. Instead he filled with you irritation with his perfectly cut smug smile — like he knew something you didn’t or like you were making yourself look like a fool in front of him. A fool whose only goal was to buy a cup of coffee and head back to work.

But like an infection, —yes, that’s what you did call him— he managed to get a hold of you, even when you didn’t expect it. Like he had woven a web and caught you in it, from which you desperately tried to flounder away.

 **Hell, you wanted to slap him.**  Hard.  _And not in a kinky way._

And when you managed to finally get that cup, you dashed out of the café and never looked back. Until the very next morning when you wanted to pick up another warm cup of your favourite caffeinated beverage.

There he was again, sipping his coffee at a table lit by the weak morning sun. He was completely focused on the newspaper at his hands, amber eyes absorbing all of the freshly printed  _Daily Insomnia_ ’s contents.

You sneered and turned your gaze away from him, weighing the options to stay the hell away from him or make a scene and make him apologize. It was a 3000 credit sheath dress he had terribly messed up, the least he could have done was to pay for the laundry it caused.

Normally you wouldn’t even had bothered, but the defiled dress had made you run late from an important meeting with the executives at your workplace. He deserved to get his half of the scolding you had received from your boss.

As you paid for your coffee with a heavy cloud of swear words and insults looming over you, he moved behind you to pick another magazine to read. You turned around, mentally prepared to head out and leave the café.

The tall man, who had ruined your dress, paused and so did you.

Just looking at him made your blood boil uncomfortably early in the morning.

He locked eyes with yours immediately and for a moment, your previously steaming blood froze. He didn’t smile like he normally did — there was a hint of shame in his expression, which made you feel happy. Almost triumphant.

However, the well-prepared-lecture you had managed to edit in your mind while you had waited for the coffee was suddenly caught in your throat. Not even the victory from his  _sorry-I-ruined-your-dress-look_ could melt the ice.

He gave you a puzzled look, but the smirk you hated returned to ghost his lips and his eyes narrowed just slightly. “Good morning,” he said softly, his tone slithering and silky.

It made a shiver run down your back.

“M-morning,” you stammered. Maybe you had been so furious about the dress the day before that you hadn’t even paid any attention to his appearance, —to which by all odds—, charmed you in an uncomfortable way. It was a feeling you did not want to admit.

“Apologies for the dress, you looked remarkably devastated by the stain,” he said. The look on his face was deeply sincere and concerned.

Maybe you had left an unforgettable impression with all that fierce shouting back then and now you just felt how your cheeks grew troublesomely warm as the smile on his lips widened.

“I don’t need your sympathies,” you blurted, hands balled into tight fists and knuckles turned to white from the burning rage within you. Your nails dug into your palms, but you managed to ignore the twinge. The words you had just spat out were the complete opposite of your previous intentions, but it was his fault.  _He was the one who had flipped the table of self-control around._

His brows shot up and smirk faded.  _Finally._  You could feel a corner of your lip twitch, eventually turning into a satisfied half-smile.

“My lord, your car is waiting.” A man, wearing black leather clothes with skull details in his garments, informed the man you had made your sworn enemy.

“Ah, let’s get to it then,” he answered, eyes still studying you.

The man in black clothing nodded curtly and left the café.

“My lord?” you repeated incredulously, feeling suddenly weak and ashamed. What kind of mess had you pulled yourself into now?

The man with amber eyes and auburn hair, wearing a long coat and a neatly folded collar, chuckled as he reached for his fedora. “It was quite a pleasure to meet you — again.” And he left the café, the morning sun shining in his auburn locks in the most breathtaking way as he entered the street.

Never had you felt so baffled after talking to someone you had just met, especially when you had been so close to another outburst.

“Excuse me, miss?” you could hear the barista asking for you to pay for the beverage. Her innocent request felt so irrelevant and you had to force yourself out of the flood of questions and mystery.

You endured the remaining day theory after another prodding your mind; you couldn’t stop thinking about the incident at the coffee shop and all your coworkers noticed how distant you had briefly become.

* * *

 

If only that had been the last time you saw him. Every morning you  _—for some odd reason—_  decided to grab a coffee from that same coffee shop. And every morning the most infuriating man was already sitting there, sipping his coffee while nose deep in the newest newspaper.

He always had a wicked smile reserved for you, and only you— at least that’s how it seemed. Even if you managed to rush out of the café without having any sort of conversation with him, he always managed to catch you off-guard with a quizzical curve of lips.

And you had no idea how to feel about it. In the back of your mind his subtle smirks and glances had slowly changed from irritating to charming.

You often caught yourself wondering if he was already there — even when it was a foregone conclusion. More importantly you kept asking from yourself: why go to the same goddamn coffee shop every  _single_ day?

Then one time, you were just trying to pay for your take-away caffeine, quickly turning into a desperate duel between you and the card reader. The combat ending up as a victory for the card reader and you were left with a blank, frustrated expression.

With a stomach empty of your favorite coffee.

And of course you had no cash with you.

“Let me,” the man with auburn hair and amber eyes said, his words spoken in a soft hush. He had appeared from behind you after observing the situation at the cash register.

“No. No you can’t.” You didn’t want his pity.

“Well didn’t I mess up your dress? Wouldn’t it be polite to at least buy you a cup of coffee?”

He was right about the dress. He was right that he owed you. And you hated him. Hated the innocent blink of his amber eyes and his silky voice.  _Gosh,_ if only he could take it elsewhere,

“F-Fine,” you almost spat out, regretting it immediately.

The man just mused in content as he paid the cashier for your drink like it was nothing.

“You know, this isn’t enough for the dress.”

“My, what could you possibly desire more?” he asked with insincere curiosity, mouth pulled into a knowing grin.

The sight made you groan both outwardly and inwardly — which made him enjoy the situation even more. “Hmm, how about: you could have paid for the laundry.” It took everything to keep your voice calm and you were positively surprised how sassy it turned out.

He was silent for a moment. “You stormed out in such hurry that I never got to ask your name, nor did I have a chance to give you any money for the,  _ah_ , laundry.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” you scoffed, grabbing the coffee from the counter and squeezing the warm cup a bit too roughly.

When had you become so indecisive? You blamed the man, yet he had managed to wrap you around his finger in the most peculiar way.

“Better watch out, or you ruin another dress of yours,” he warned nonchalantly and turned around to leave the coffee shop. “I hope to meet you again,  _darling._ ”

_D-darling?!_

“I’m not your darling!” you yelled after him, but he just chuckled and exited the café.

How was one person driving you so mad? You eased the grip around the cup, thanked the frightened barista and exited after him. There was no sign of him on the street and you felt slightly disappointed, but then you made a mental note to change the regular café to grab coffee from.

The whole day at work kept you so busy that the man in a funny fedora was pushed away from your mind as you focused into making phone calls and writing a great deal of emails.

It was already dark when you were able to leave from work. Your boss was still around and you overheard him talking in his office. “The King is doing what?”

Normally you would have just ignored him, but now something made you pause. Maybe it was the panicked undertone in your boss’ voice.

“His uncle? Coming here? What for? …I see…”

_Uncle?_

Your boss noticed you through the window to his office and he waved you a goodbye with a somewhat tired frown. You decided it was better to get some rest and spend the weekend in peaceful solitude.

* * *

A few days passed and you felt free once again. You had found a new café to get a cup of warm liquid before work and during lunch, and even though it wasn’t as good as the coffee was in the old place, it was good enough to be rid of unpleasantries.

You didn’t have to endure his annoying smirks and chuckles every day. That alone was a major victory.

One day at work, something seemed to have changed. Your executives had been holed up in a meeting room for the whole morning and afternoon, and your boss had buried you in a great amount of work.

But the mood in the office was different; everyone talked so freely and joyfully. Almost as if it was a holiday season.

“Did something happen today?” you asked casually from your boss when he came by your office to bring another pile of papers to be worked on.

“Oh? Did I forget to tell you? They are negotiating a contract with  _the crown_  in upstairs.”

“Contract? With  _the_  crown?” you gasped. Your boss looked excited about it and you could feel how his eagerness spread across the workdesk to you slowly.

“Yes, the King’s uncle is in the building, representing the King.”

_Uncle?_

The word replayed in your mind again and again.

_So that’s what he had been talking on the phone about._

The revelation made you feel both relieved and happy. The company would gain tremendous amounts of benefits from striking a deal with the crown.

“I… didn’t know,” you gasped, feeling suddenly breathless.

Your boss flashed a happy grin, “if everything is going well, we’re having a small celebration at the office today!”

“Let’s hope for the best then!”

The meeting came to an end sooner than anyone had expected. You could notice how everyone was gawking around to get a glimpse of the King’s uncle.

Even you couldn’t resist the surge of curiosity passing through you and so you stood up to take a small peek out of the doorway.

You caught a glimpse of the cheerful retinue emerging from an elevator. Joyful chattering filling the air as they were heading towards a cabin where executives usually had their private breaks — downing a glass of whiskey or two.

“Is that…?” you could hear someone guessing out loud. You squinted your eyes to get a better look. And for a moment you couldn’t believe your eyes.

_No._

_No._

_No._

It was the man who had made you avoid your favourite café. It was the man who made your blood boil and body tense. It was the man with beautiful auburn hair and amber eyes. It was the man you wanted to hate but you were still drawn to him.

And oddly enough, it all made sense now. You felt both empty and enlightened at the same time.

How hadn’t you guessed that he was actually a prince?  _The king’s uncle?_  Anyone who was proud enough to call themselves an Insomnian should have known.

It had been odd enough when someone had called him ‘a Lord’ so why hadn’t you actually recalled any of the news you had seen before. He was a popular figure.

**Hell, he had even been titled as one of the hottest bachelors in Insomnia.**

And now you could see why; he wasn’t wearing his usual long coat and a fedora — he was wearing a black, fine tailored suit.

The sight filled you with an unusual desire. A feeling that you had so skillfully locked away.

He seemed content as he chatted with one of the executives and then he let his gaze wander around the corridor.

His polite smile twitched and his roaming gaze paused.

You were peeking out of your office and you already wished that you weren’t. Why had you let the curiosity to take over? Now you were filled with regret as you tried to push the uncomfortable boiling in your lower abdomen.

_Damn he really is worthy of the title: ‘Hottest Bachelor.’_

If he even was a bachelor anymore.

You screamed at yourself inwardly. Why were you even thinking about it?!

“Care to show me around this floor first? I see that you have hardworking subordinates in the offices.” You heard the same, smooth and sweet tone as he spoke to one of the executives.

“A-are you sure?”

“Please do. The King wants me to interact with the citizens of Insomnia anyway. I’d hate to disappoint him.”

You wanted to hide in your office even when you knew it was too late. Even burying yourself neck deep in papers would be in vain; your boss would just make you introduce yourself to the prince if he asked for it.

And you knew he would ask for it.

You tried to calm your pacing heart beat, thinking about a way to escape the situation. If your coworkers would find out that you had been quite upfront to a prince of Lucis kingdom — you would hear about it to the end of the days.

Excited chattering came closer and closer to your office. Minutes passed, each feeling longer than the other. His familiar chuckle caught your attention and you could hear the smile in his words, when he praised someone’s decorative cactus.

There was no way he actually was enjoying that half-withered plant. You groaned for the umpteenth time as you flipped a file around, trying to continue the work, but instead you ended up flipping it multiple times around.

You couldn’t block the sounds coming from the corridor even if you had closed the door. And you wanted to stay away from that door, in case a pair of amber eyes were lurking behind a corner.

You must have succumbed to your own thoughts, jumping slightly from your chair when you heard people enter your office room completely unannounced.

“Y/N!  _Get up!_ ” your boss hissed in panic. You took in the view at your doorway and you had never felt so helpless and small before.

You obeyed and stood up without much thinking. Somehow your mind had gone void from thoughts. Thoughts that had kept you somewhat sane until now, but there he was. The prince of Lucis was standing in your office doorway, smiling knowingly — yet seeming like he had no idea who you were.

_Maybe it was an act?_

“Y/N? What a lovely name you have,” the man you had sworn to hate said — sounding so honest but you knew he was just enjoying your torment. That much his wicked smile told you. “Ardyn Lucis Caelum — at your service!”

He closed the distance between you to capture your hand into his and you tensed curtly, when he pulled your hand closer to his face. Ardyn placed a soft, gentle kiss on your knuckles, acting like you were some sort of royalty.

Your boss blinked incredulously at prince Ardyn and your already gaping mouth fell even more open. There was no way he had done the same to the other employees before arriving your office.

_So he really did remember?_

“Uh… nice to uh, meet you?” you managed to sputter eventually. You hadn’t even noticed that he had let go of your hand and you kept it in the air, completely astonished from his actions. Your knuckles tingled in excitement — reminiscing the feeling of velvety lips on your skin.

Ardyn seemed to be enjoying your reaction and he tilted his head to side just enough to call it a tilt.

The blood he had caused to freeze started boiling slowly, thawing out the ice blocking your veins. Just staring at his  _stupid,_ smugface made your body heat up uncomfortably. Or maybe it was the aftermath of his kiss on your knuckles.

_Who even behaved like that anymore?!_

“This is quite the office — compared to the others I just visited.” He started walking around the room, observing every detail it had. You had brought some of your personal decorations to cheer up the mood and improve your work motivation.

“Well, Y/N is one of our best workers…” one of the executives stated. You hadn’t even noticed him and his words made you feel slightly embarrassed, but proud.

“Ah, I see…” Ardyn hummed and paused in front of a painting. It was a calming scene with a chocobo in it. “Wouldn’t it be useful for her to be the contact between the crown and your company then?”

Silence fell. You bit your lip and squeezed your hands nervously into fists.

After a small moment spent in deep thoughts, your boss decided to speak up: “she doesn’t actually work with our clients directly — I am sure we can find someone better from the—”

“Oh, but I  _insist._ ” Ardyn turned around with narrowed eyes.

“Well if it’s what the King wants…” the executive mumbled and eyed you up and down.

“I am sure the King will be utterly pleased. He has made me to be in charge with this little project of ours anyway.”

You groaned inwardly —again. There was no way anyone could say no to a prince. And somehow you knew that it was just as he had planned. He continued his explorative walk around your office, looking thrilled about the tiniest of details he managed to find.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to assign someone to help with her work so she can give her full attention to the project,” your boss said, gaining approving nods from the executives crowding at your doorway.

“I cannot possibly wait to work with you, Y/N,” Ardyn said, beaming mischievously. No one else seemed to notice that and you tried to return him a stern glare, but he had weakened you already.

“Likewise,  _Your Highness_ ,” you said blankly with the intent of poisoning him with your words. And by taking a defensive stance over the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

What kind of games did the Astrals play on a person’s fortune? Did they laugh at someone’s hardship? Or did they find it savory when a person found love? Maybe they just enjoyed tormenting people — because they were able to do so?

A week passed after Ardyn’s visit at your office. He had requested for you to become the contact between the crown and the company. Doubtlessly, it was a nice change of pace from the usual tasks, but still you couldn’t help but to wonder:  _how were you supposedly going to work as the contact when there was no communication?_

Well, at least you didn’t have to look at his stupid smug face every day — which was the opposite of your expectations.

And luckily he hadn’t revealed the mishap in the café to anyone. At least you hadn’t heard about it from anyone at the office.

The phone buzzed cheerily on your desk, making you snap awake from mystified thoughts that had slowly dragged your mind off to somewhere distant.

“ _ **Hello there! We should meet! How does lunch at 11am sound like?**_

_**-Ardyn Lucis Caelum”** _

You gritted your teeth as you took in the message. Even his text message was stupid.  _Gods_ , you hated him. It was obnoxious enough to have his phone number for the sole purpose of getting the job done.

“ _Sure thing, where are we eating at?”_

It took way too long for you to type a message that short, but you didn’t want to sound too eager.  **Because no way in hell were you eager to see him.**

“ _And it’s for business, right?”_

You decided to add after your finger had been hesitantly hovering over the ‘send’-button.

“ _ **My, my — but of course it is for business. Or would you rather call it something else?”**_

You could read the dripping amusement through his message and you had already typed a “ _NO_ ” to swipe the smug smirk off his stupidly gorgeous face. But before you could properly reply, he sent a following message:

“ _ **I’ll take you to a restaurant I am greatly fond of. They have an exquisite cheesecake recipe and I’d hate to miss the opportunity of having some. I shall pick you up 10:30am at the office.”**_

_Cheesecake? Seriously?_

You bit back your gulp of defeat and threw a murderous glare at the clock on a wall. You still had an half an hour before the fateful event. He could have asked earlier…

And with slightly shaking fingers, much thanks to your blood being close to the point of boiling, you answered him with a weak “ _Okay, business lunch it is.”_

* * *

Thirty minutes later, you were sitting in the backseat of Ardyn’s black car. He had greeted you with his trademark smile and you had politely given him a curt nod. If he only acted more like a prince, you’d actually greet him properly. Maybe.

But just the sight of him made your skin tingle from irritation. He wore another fine-tailored suit and a fedora, and he sat on the backseat with his hand on the back rest. His amber eyes flickered with mischief towards you, but he didn’t strike a conversation.

You tried not to spare another glance at his direction as you sat next to him with your lips pursed and legs crossed.

The driver kept his eyes strictly on the road and Ardyn hummed a cheery tune almost the whole way down to the restaurant, which suited you well; you didn’t have to get worked up any more than you already were.

The actual restaurant was stunning and you secretly gave the prince a little credit for choosing a place with calm atmosphere. Floors were covered with white, shining tiles and most of the walls were painted in brown and lit up with dim lights.

And a painting of Accordo —or so you presumed— hanged on a single brick wall.

It seemed only natural that a prince of Lucis kingdom would have lunch in an Altissian restaurant.

You scoffed at the imagine of him sipping fine Altissian wine from a glass. Ardyn gave you a questioning side eye, while he spoke to the staff. He didn’t want anyone to disturb this  _business meeting_ and he requested a peaceful table for two.

The lunch itself was simple; paella made from Accordian seafood, cockatrice pasta, Altissian fruit salad and spiced seaweed soup. It was all new and interesting to you and as much as you hated to admit; Ardyn was kind enough to order everything.

You tasted all the dishes, savoring every detail and flavor — completely forgetting about the original intent of having a lunch with Ardyn. He was seemingly amused at your dreamy expression after every spoonful.

“And here I thought the number one pet of a major corporation would have tasted Altissian cuisine before.”

“Shut up. I’m eating,” you sighed after another bite.

“I do hope we are not wasting time here, this is a — ah, a business lunch after all,” Ardyn said with a smug smile before he took a sip of water from his sparkly clean glass.

“Right,” you groaned, reluctantly leaving the spoon at the side of your plate. “Business it is.”

Ardyn hummed cheerily in approval and for a moment you caught yourself staring at his knowing smile. Your heart skipped a beat and your skin prickled again. You squeezed your hand to remind yourself of who he was and how vexing his behavior tended to be.

He calmly waited for you to pick up your notes, fingers gently drumming the glass in his hand. You already began to wonder if his stupid grin was glued permanently to his face.

Talking about business with Ardyn was a whole new level. He was well informed and skilled, but he also knew how things should be handled. Despite his surprising talent, you had to question some of his ideas, which made him to come up with better ones.

Your hand flied over the paper as you took down notes.

He paused from time to time to take a bite or two, and you followed suit.

“The campaign should start from there; it’ll make the citizens more interested if it’s all still fresh.”

“I will talk to the right department,” you huffed as you finished writing. Your wrist ached from the sudden burst with the pen, but you felt greatly satisfied.

“I want the drafts by Thursday,” Ardyn spoke thoughtfully, brows slightly furrowed and cheek resting on his knuckles.

You flashed an exhausted smile as you scribbled down:  _Thursday._ “Is this all?”

He squinted his eyes and gracefully took a fork into his hand. You tried not to follow his actions, but you froze in awe to stare at his long fingers.

“Yes, unless you had something in mind,” he mused, taking the knife into his other hand.

You felt how your pulse increased almost rapidly and you ripped your gaze off his fingers. Warmth coiled in the pit of your stomach and it made you feel uneasy.

“N-no I’m fine,” you answered, shakily putting away your notes.

After the lunch had vanished from the plates into your stomachs, Ardyn got the cheesecake he so craved for. He had decided to order a slice for you as well, so you’d get the idea of a heavenly taste.

Sadly, he was right: the cake was extraordinary, divine and it melted right into your mouth.

The business lunch was concluded finally and Ardyn drove you back to the office. Well, technically he didn’t drive. He only chuckled at the memory of your dreamy expression after you had had the first bite of the cake as the car drove past the coffee shop you used to go.

“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee?” Ardyn asked after studying your expression. He sounded so sincere that even the most reluctant company would have fallen abashed and complied.

But you knew Ardyn’s ulterior motive was just to tease you.  _How foolish you were back then._

“Maybe, but  **not**  with you.”

His smile faded, if only a bit. It made you feel victorious and you both remained quiet for the rest of the ride.

* * *

A few days later you had skillfully managed to trade your thoughts into something more important: work.

And there was no room to be caught in a web of love, hate, frustration, desire… which you were  _obviously_  miles away from.

Ardyn had left no messages or calls after that lunch, which was to be quite expected. He was a busy person after all. And the less time he spent with you, the happier you would be.

You had no need to inquire anything from him anyway; he had given you so much material to work with that you’d be busy for another week or so.

In fact, you were so busy that you barely had time to taste a bite of your lunch. A whole group had fallen ill due to a virus plaguing the office building and you were simply ordered to do their jobs as an addition to your own work.

You arrived home late every day. So late, that you could see the stars illuminating the sky above and too exhausted to continue that series you much loved on Chocoflix. You went straight to bed and got up early in the morning for work.

Coffee from your second favorite café was the only thing that kept your engine rolling.

One day, you felt so exhausted and drained that you decided to leave early and continue from home. And as you were on your way home, you walked past that coffee shop you used to visit. You halted almost immediately and gazed through the window longingly.

“Missed me?” You heard a familiar chuckle that sent a cool shiver down your spine. Ardyn looked like he was casually on a stroll, but he was obviously heading for the coffee shop. And he had caught you drooling at your favorite place rather dreamily.

“Uh, no.”

“Then why are you out here at this time of the day?” He was seemingly amused at the turn of events, like he had just learned a juicy secret.

“I’m on my way home,” you sighed and gave him a better eyeful. He was back to his ridiculous coffee-filter-attire. You were unsure if that was his outfit for blending in with commoners, but it seemed to be the very opposite.

He was about to speak, but you paused him and groaned in frustration. “Just, please. I am not in the mood for this shit today.”

Ardyn tilted his head and pondered for a moment.

“Then what is wrong?” he asked softly, making you grit your teeth. He caught you off-guard by sounding so sincere.

You really didn’t feel like opening up to him, not about work. Or anything. He probably knew nothing about long days in the office. “It’s none of your business.”

He took a step closer and you steeled your mind. It was not the time to show any kind of weakness, not to him. You shot him a challenging glare, but he just furrowed his brows in concern.

“It is only my concern if the company working for the King himself burns out their best,” he narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Come on now, you should grab a coffee from here at least.”

Your heart skipped a beat. How many times you had told yourself to stay away from that café and that man?

“I promise to leave you be if that’s what bothers you.”

“Fine.”

“Ah, and she’s back in business.”

“But just this time,” you sighed, “and you are buying.”

It turned out to be something quite unexpected. The owner was too excited to get his regular customer back that he kept chatting you up for ten minutes. He would have continued even longer, if Ardyn hadn’t seen your distress across the room.

He came to the rescue, using work as an excuse for your attention and led you to the table he usually sat at.

If that was the master plan he had plotted, to get to spend time with you, he had succeeded. You sipped the coffee and watched Ardyn sipping his.

“Oh dear, you look exhausted,” Ardyn sighed and leaned in closer to observe your face. It made your heart flutter unexpectedly and you felt how your cheeks grew warmer under his observant gaze.

“It’s nothing,” you mumbled and averted your gaze from his piercing amber eyes. It was really nothing; before Ardyn had swooped into the picture of your work life, your boss had really kept you working. A lot.

“Oh, but it is.” You couldn’t avoid his scolding tone and you jumped slightly when he placed his coffee cup on the table a bit louder than normal. “If you are being driven to the point of a burn out at work, it should be a concern for me, since you work for the King.”

His words paused you, or more like, paused your brain. He was right, if you were specifically appointed to work as the contact, then you should be at your best. No one just casually ended up working for the King himself — unless you were hired to work in the Citadel.

“Take the day off,” he ordered. You wanted to protest but he smiled and whisked his hand. “I shall contact your bosses and let them know how things are.”

You felt bad; if they would ease your workload, others would suffer. Ardyn must have seen the horror in your eyes when he shook his head again, but this time, he smiled.

“My, aren’t you something…”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

He chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. “You keep surprising me, that is all. You may leave now if you truly don’t wish to spend time with me.”

* * *

After that day, Ardyn started visiting your office at least twice a week. At first, you felt surprised at the turn of events. Your coworkers squealed every time he swung by your office to bring you the coffee you loved. He told you that his reasons for visiting were to check upon how your work progressed and if you were being burned down again.

But after he left your office, your coworkers stormed in, asking if he was still a bachelor or what was his favorite dessert. Did he spend time in Galdin like the tabloids stated? Or who was the actress he spoke to last week?

You didn’t know the answers and you were unsure if you wanted to know.

_Or so you claimed._

Ardyn took you to different restaurants to have lunch and you got to experience a whole new culinary side of life with him. The time you spent together became something you looked forward to, since working with him was pleasant. You both brainstormed new ideas, laughed and ate.

Surprisingly, you started to enjoy your time with him and you always looked forward to these business lunches.

It had been raining the whole week when the mood in the office shifted all the sudden. You heard the usual excited murmuring coming over from your female coworkers’ offices, yet you couldn’t help but to feel curious about the cause for this commotion, even when you knew the answer in the back of your mind.

Your questions were answered sooner than you could stand up and take a peek to the corridor. Prince Ardyn strolled into your office almost like he owned the place, completely unannounced and carrying two cups of take away coffee in his hands.

He wore just another suit that had cost more than your monthly salary, topmost button of his shirt undone and hair ruffled. He leaned against the door frame, looking quite seductive with his knowing smile. Had you been just one of the office ladies, you would have swooned right at his feet — but instead you forced a stern expression even when you felt the warmth creeping up your neck.

Still, you felt less anxious about him being in your office; the past weeks had been sure lively with all the wild gossip, but somehow that didn’t bother you that much as it had in the beginning. In fact, you felt rather happy to see him checking up on your progress once again.

The excited murmuring turned into slightly jealous one and you could have sworn that you’d be able to mine a mountain of salt from your coworkers if you had the interest to do so.

You just calmly reminded yourself that you had no romantic interest in the scoundrel prince. It was  **just**  business.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, quirking a brow. He had visited your office just the day before, so it was unexpected to see him so soon again.

“I missed you, so I decided to stop by,” Ardyn jested with a theatrical undertone and walked over to your desk. He placed the other cup on it. It even had your name written on it.

“Aren’t you funny,” you snorted and crossed your arms over your chest.

“You know, I was surprised that I haven’t seen you at the coffee shop after all this time, so I brought the coffee shop to you,” he sighed like it was the most obvious solution. You burst into a fit of giggles, completely uncontrollably. He quirked a brow at you and his smile widened, but it was softer than the normal teasing one. “Though it would have been rude to bring everything from the café here, so this is just a free sample.”

“Sure,” you groaned and took the cup he had brought for you. There was no harm in drinking the warm, hot caffeine you had so long missed? “You don’t need to come here and bring me coffee, you know.”

“Oh, I know— but I needed to see you.”

The heat crept even further. Your cheeks glowed and you avoided his intense look.

“And why is that?” you asked, somewhat rasply.

“Business?” Ardyn said and tilted his head to a side. Of course it was  _business_ , you felt silly and you didn’t really need to feel anymore bothered than you already were. “Or did you have something else in mind?”

“Just… never mind,” you said and lifted your gaze to meet his amber eyes. You weren’t going to give up, even when you felt so abashed in his company. Ardyn just tilted his head to side and grinned.

“How about a dinner?”

Your heart probably missed a few beats. A dinner. With a prince. Even when you knew it was for business, it didn’t ease the tiny bit of fluttering inside of you.

“Let’s see… I can do Thursday.” You regained your resolve. It was hard to pull your thoughts back into work when he waited so calmly across your desk.

“Thursday sounds absolutely wonderful.” Ardyn had placed a hand on your desk, making you feel so small under his towering shade. “ _Lavender Wine_?”

_Did he ever consider eating in a slightly cheaper restaurant?_

“Sure.”

He smiled and turned on his heels to leave your office.

“You know— you could have just called or texted…” you muttered before he was gone through your doorway.

“But then again, who would have brought you the coffee?” he asked, looking at you over his shoulder. You opened your mouth in an attempt for another protest, but Ardyn shook his head and left.

* * *

The business dinner went smoothly, so smoothly, that you felt like you were out on a date. With your notes in your bag. It had been a while since Ardyn had had lunch with you, but clearly something had changed.

Ardyn acted more like a prince should, well, until you said something silly. Then he would say something to make your cheeks burn, since he really enjoyed to see your flustered expressions or fiery outbursts the sweet teasing caused.

You didn’t even know why would you have feelings for someone like him, but there they were. Growing stronger every time he flashed a seductive, searching gaze at your direction.

It was a gaze you wished to avoid, but yet you caught yourself looking at his features way too many times.

* * *

“ _Lunch today?”_

It took forever to write that message and your heart kept throbbing. It was a simple question, yet it made you feel like the bottom of your stomach has fallen off.

“ **I am terribly sorry, but there is something I need to do. I can’t make it today.”**

Your eyes widened from surprise and you could have sworn that your heart stopped beating. He had never declined your suggestions for lunch.

“He’s just busy,” you mumbled to yourself. After all, the project was important to Ardyn.

A few days passed. You worked with the materials you had in your hands, even when you were running out of them.

Then, your phone rang.

Ardyn Lucis Caelum flashed on the phone screen and you quickly answered it.

“ _Hello! It is I, Ardyn Lucis—”_

“Yeah, I get it. What’s up?” you answered the phone, beaming from ear to ear. That was the complete opposite of how you had behaved months ago and you wanted to punch yourself, but you felt a wave of relief washing over you when you heard his voice.

“ _How rude,”_ Ardyn said, but you could hear the joy in his tone.  _“You asked me for lunch the other day, but I couldn’t brighten your lovely day with my presence.”_

“Uhh…”

He chuckled. “Now now, what are you thinking? So when should we have lunch? I will be back tomorrow.”

“How about Monday?” you shook off the abashment his mischievous tone had caused.

“ _Aaahhh… Monday won’t work,”_  Ardyn gasped with a theatrical tone. You rolled your eyes to the ceiling. “How about… Wednesday? There’s a gala downtown and I am sure you have been invited…”

You furrowed your brows. Gala? No one had talked anything about a gala. Your plans for the day seemed oddly empty for a Wednesday anyway. Ardyn noticed your sudden silence and he let out a soft, thoughtful hum.

“ _That is strange, I indeed thought you were the number one pet of this company,”_ he sighed in slight disappointment. You felt the urge to slap him; you weren’t anyone’s pet.  _“I guess you could come with_ — _actually that might be a bad idea… the press will be all over the place.”_

“You know what, I’ll just talk to my superiors and they’ll get me in,” you answered with a slight annoyed tone, which was odd to your new behavior.

“ _Dress up nicely then!”_  Ardyn said after a brief moment spent in mental recovery.  _“The party will be full of fancy high class people and they have high standards.”_

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” you growled, “I would be more worried about you.”

“ _Pleasure doing business with you,”_ he said and wished a goodbye.

Completely drowning in your fury, you took a sip of the coffee you had on your desk.

* * *

The gala evening. The cream of the Insomnia strolled into a high tech building in the centrum of the crown city. Press was everywhere and flashlights blinded the more… unpopular guests. An actor after another, a politician, a comedian…

The list went on and on. And then, there was you. A commoner with barely a tie to the higher class. Even some of your executives were there and those were the ones who had helped you in. It was easy after dropping the prince’s name.

After that —well… You had spent quite some time shopping both online and in boutiques. Finally all that shopping bore fruit and you found a dress that wasn’t too expensive, but still went well with the top cream.

You walked in, dazzled by the celebrities around you. But no one else truly made you feel like the prince did.

Ardyn was casually ordering a drink, wearing a dark suit and hair still disheveled in a rather sexy way. You wanted to pinch yourself, but too many guests were around you. It would have looked odd.

“You look lovely,” Ardyn purred with a glass of champagne in his hand as you walked to greet him.

You answered him with a roll of eyes and ordered yourself a drink from the bartender. You just couldn’t stop the happy fluttering of butterflies in your stomach.

“So, why did we have to talk business in here?” you inquired,trying to ignore his compliment.

He leaned against the bar counter with his elbow and took a sip before answering: “This is a good chance to socialize with important people.”

You quirked a brow in disbelief.  _Why would he help you?_

Ardyn saw the doubt in your eyes and let out a soft chuckle. “After our project is concluded, you will have quite the resume and finding a better job should be easier if you know the right people.”

“And why would I want to change jobs?” you questioned and narrowed your eyes at him to stop the heat from creeping up your neck.  _Why it was so hard?_

“Because…” he took a step closer to you. You lifted your gaze to meet his amber eyes and you felt how the liquid sultriness poured down inside of you. “You deserve so much better—”

He was so close that you could smell his cologne and that scent alone was enough to jam your train of thought. “—and…”

“I…” Ardyn spoke while he placed his glass on the counter. Then he moved his hand to softly caress your jawline. Your heart raced from anticipation, your palms tingled and you had lost your ability to breathe.

His thumb swept softly over your lower lip. Your heart skipped a beat.

He murmured a confession, but it was completely incoherent, or maybe you couldn’t understand his sentence, because your mind had slipped from your grasp minutes ago.

Ardyn leaned in closer after his gaze had dropped onto your lips. He had hesitated a moment before, with the sweetest smile on his lips.

_You should have hated him, but that hatred was long gone. You wanted to taste his lips just as badly as he wanted yours._

That one thought made your brain all woozy and giddy, but the kiss you expected — never happened.

“Your drink—”

Ardyn pulled away, clearly vexed by the interruption caused by the bartender who had mixed your drink and now expected to be paid.

“I-I am sorry, Your Highness, I can—”

The bartender clearly realized what was going on and his face had turned red, all the way up to the tips of his ears.

The prince sighed clearly in disappointment and turned to face the bartender. You could see how he was gritting his teeth, but your heart still pounded in your ears.

_He had almost kissed you._

Ardyn didn’t say anything. He just gave the bartender a tense nod. You paid your drink and quickly poured it down into your suddenly-dry-throat.

“ _Aha!_  Found you!”

You and Ardyn both turned around only to find a woman in somewhat posh outfit. Her hair was long and silvery and on a neat ponytail. Her eyes glimmered like a storm and her lips had curled into a small smile.

“Aranea! Isn’t this unexpected!” Ardyn gasped dramatically, but you heard the same joking undertone he used with you. “Never thought I’d see you here.”

Somehow hearing him speak to a beautiful woman in a way you thought was reserved only for you hurt more than it should have.

Of course she would have been a high-born lady; even her expensive designer dress screamed so. You wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like her. You felt a tear dwelling in the corner of your eye.

“Well, I thought you asked me to—” her eyes shifted to study you from head to toe. Her smile wavered and you felt an uncomfortable sting in your guts. “Who is this? Why is she here?”

“This is—”

“You know, I’m actually just gonna go if you have some unfinished _business_ ,” you said, hurt screaming through your words while avoiding their piercing gazes. You wanted to get out of there. Your heart ached and head spun, and it made you nauseous.

There was no chance that you,  _a commoner_ , could ever…

You bit your lower lip as you dashed away from the mingling guests, right into the pouring rain. Flashlights still lighting up the entrance to the building.

You ran, having no idea where to head. You ran, clothes heavy and sticky from being wet.

The memories of him, looking at you and leaning slowly closer slashed your chest painfully. What if you had kissed?

“Y/N!”

Would things be different if you had answered his kiss?

“Y/N!”

Everything went blurry thanks to the tears and the rain hazing your vision, but you didn’t care. You didn’t want to care. You wanted to…

Someone grabbed your arm and pulled you back. He embraced you and you rested your cheek against his chest. He was warm. And familiar.

“Ardyn…”

You didn’t want to cry against his chest, but the remaining tears you had been holding back rolled down your cheeks.

“Why did you run away? You’re getting soaked,” he murmured and stroked your cheek. His clothes were soaked too, but he didn’t seem to care.

“You…” It pained to think about it. “And that woman…”

“Aranea?” Ardyn seemed surprised to hear your hurt. “She’s my subordinate. I never thought you would be jealous. She was on an important mission and she came to report…”

_Subordinate._

Your heart fluttered happily. “I…”

Ardyn quirked a brow, but the wide smile on his face told more than a thousand words. “But why have you been so mean to me?”

“Because I didn’t know how to… behave around you. You drive me crazy, in a rather good way.”

You squeezed the fabric of his suit, feeling speechless.

“Now, if you excuse me, I’d like to finish what we were about to begin back there.”

He closed the gap between you and him and pressed his lips on yours. Your heart raced madly and you didn’t want to pull away. You smiled against his warm lips.

“Would you like to be mine?” he murmured in between the gentle kisses.

A smile was drawn upon your lips. You wanted to answer, to tell him that it was what you wanted, but he kept interrupting you with a kiss after another.

You wanted to be there with him, soaked in the rain.

And so, you found something you hadn’t been seeking before.


End file.
